


The Wedding

by mfingenius



Series: Courting Traditions [6]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe, Courtship, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25122028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mfingenius/pseuds/mfingenius
Summary: “Auguste,” Laurent says, flushing up to the tips of his ears. “Please stop.”Auguste grins, hand still gesturing towards the rather crude and disturbing diagram hanging on the wall.He blinks innocently. “Laurent, you are to be married tonight. I have a duty to you as a brother.”
Relationships: Auguste & Damen (Captive Prince), Damen & Nikandros (Captive Prince), Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince)
Series: Courting Traditions [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1397506
Comments: 35
Kudos: 288





	The Wedding

The wedding is set for the spring Laurent turns twenty; they rarely see each other in the year leading up to it: Damen is occupied with  Akielos and Laurent, Damen suspects, arguing with the council; he doesn’t know how they haven’t learned better by now, especially with  Herode ,  Jokaste , and King Auguste all on Laurent’s side. 

Still, Laurent manages to get away to  Ios two months before the wedding; because they’ve been so far and they're royal, the wedding is being planned by the  Akielon Royal Wedding Planner, an old  Akielon woman who is almost as tall as Damen is.

Damen and Laurent spend their time together simply like that; together. No planning, no problems, nothing to stop them from doing what they want – in their free time, because, after all, Damen is running a country and Laurent will rule it with him, which means he’s uses the time he has to learn everything about  Akielon politics – and it’s  _ good _ .

The week before their wedding arrives, so do the  Veretians . Auguste, Aimée, and  Jokaste seem to be the happiest, but there are also several interested courtiers. There are several big feasts and celebrations, and, regretfully, Damen and Laurent don’t get to spend as much time together as before, since  Jokaste and Aimée keep dragging him away. 

Auguste greatly enjoys throwing Damen’s last party as a single man – Damen didn’t know before, but Auguste can  _ drink,  _ and how did that even happen? Laurent holds alcohol so badly Damen had assumed it was a  Veretian thing, but apparently, he was wrong, as becomes quickly evident when he and Auguste are competing in a drinking game – and laughs with him and threatens him if he ever hurts Laurent.

Aimée threatens him, too, the next morning, when his head is pounding from the alcohol and he can barely look at her.

And then Jokaste.

He’s honestly a little insulted they all think he might hurt Laurent, but feels a little better when Laurent laughs at him when he tells him and tells him Nikandros and Makedon both threatened him, too.

It’s flattering.

On the day of the wedding, Damen wakes up to pounding on the door and cold sheets.

“What’s wrong?” he asks immediately, opening the door to find  Jokaste , grinning slyly. “Where is Laurent?” 

“Auguste already took him away,” she says, disinterested. “Now  _ I'm  _ here to take you away.”

“Away for what?” Damen asks dumbly. 

Jokaste narrows her eyes. “Your  _ wedding _ .”

“But it’s not until sundown,” Damen says.

She rolls her eyes at him and grabs his wrist. “You’re hopeless, Damen. Come with me.”

She shoves him in the bath, and there are candles and scented oils and it’s pretty, really, but Damen would greatly enjoy it if Laurent were there. When he asks,  Jokaste only tells him he’s not allowed to see Laurent until the wedding.

“Are you going to stay?” he asks, raising his eyebrows when she doesn’t leave as he begins to unpin his chiton. 

She rolls her eyes. “I know you’re not shy. And I’m here to make sure you don’t run off.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Damen says; he sheds his chiton and gets into the warm bath, groaning.  Jokaste stares at him with narrowed eyes, and he raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing,” she says, but she’s still staring at him. A few minutes pass, and then she cocks her head. “You’re really going through with this.”

“Yes,” Damen says, surprised. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m surprised,” she admits. “I knew Laurent was different for you since the first moment I saw you look at him, but I think a part of me thought you’d never settle down. No one thought this would happen, you know? There are still servants who expect you’ll leave Laurent.”

Damen rolls his eyes. “Yes, I’m aware of my reputation, thank you.”

He doesn’t know how anyone could doubt his love for Laurent, at this point; they courted two years, they’ve been engaged for one.  It’s hardly time spent on someone unimportant.

“Well, I’m glad they’re wrong,”  Jokaste says, straightening abruptly. “Because if you leave Laurent now, I  _ will _ ruin you, Damianos.”

Damen rolls his eyes, but he’s honestly a little scared of her. He’s more scared of Laurent, but she’s definitely second place. “You’ve already threatened me.”

“And I will do it again,”  Jokaste says swiftly. “Now finish bathing. There are more things planned.”

*

“Auguste,” Laurent says, flushing up to the tips of his ears. “Please stop.”

Auguste grins, hand still gesturing towards the rather crude and disturbing diagram hanging on the wall. 

He blinks innocently. “Laurent, you are to be married tonight. I have a duty to you as a brother.”

“Aimée, make him stop,” Laurent pleads, but she’s absolutely no help, cackling madly beside Auguste. 

“Why would I? I made the tapestry, Laurent,” she says, wrapping an arm around her husband. “For this very special occasion.”

“You two deserve each other,” Laurent says drily. 

“Thank you,” they both say with matching grins.

“And you’ll want to hear this,” Aimée says, drawing her voice down to a whisper. “Because  _ I’ve  _ heard King  Damianos is  _ very _ proportional to his size. One of the servants told me his last romantic interest told them  _ everything _ , and apparently she said she could feel him for days-”

Laurent’s flush burns brighter, and Auguste makes a face. “Aimée, I didn’t want to know that!”

Aimée laughs loudly. She enjoys torturing her husband as much as he enjoys torturing Laurent.

“You’re the worst,” he tells them. “Both of you.”

Aimée laughs louder.

*

“Nervous?”  Nikandros comes in while Damen is being dressed; the servants pin his white, golden-hemmed chiton in place, and then go get his cape. Damen puts his laurel crown on, and turns to Nikandros.

“Yes,” he admits. A servant kneels in front of him to tie his sandals. 

Nikandros gives him a wry smile. “There is still time to escape. I could get you out of the palace.”

Damen laughs. “No need, my friend. I know you don’t like Laurent, but – I love him, Nik.”

“Yes, that is evident.”  Nikandros sighs loudly. “Oh, well. I did what I could.”

Damen laughs again, and  Nikandros’s expression turns to something softer.

“Everyone is ready outside,” he says. “They’re all happy for you.”

“They?” Damen echoes; two servants pin his cape to his shoulders, and he’s ready. He’s  _ ready _ . 

“We,”  Nikandros amends . “I’m happy for you, too.”

“You are?” 

Nikandros nods. “Even if it means I’ll have to see Laurent every day.”

Damen smiles, and Nikandros sighs again.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get you married.”

*

“I can’t do this,” Laurent says, pacing up and down the room, feeling like he can’t breathe. “I can’t do this. I can’t breathe. Auguste, let me out of these clothes, I can’t do this, I can’t, I need to-”

“Laurent.” Auguste stops him by grabbing his elbow. “If you really want to leave, you know I will support you. I think you love Damen.” Laurent nods. “And I think you’ve been building up to this for so long.” Laurent nods again. “And you don’t truly want to leave. You’re just nervous because of that.”

Laurent nods again. “But I – Auguste, I don’t know how to be a good husband, I – how will I rule a Kingdom? How will I – Damen has so much more experience than me, in every aspect possible, and I – I don’t know anything.”

Auguste frowns. “Laurent, you will rule fairly and brilliantly because that’s how you are. I would trust you and no one else to rule Vere if anything ever happened. As for being a husband, you will learn. I did, after I married Aimée. No one knows how to do it before they’ve done it.”

Laurent shakes his head. “But what if this ruins everything?”

“How could it? You’re both ridiculously in love, marriage won’t change that,” Auguste says. “Laurent, everything will be alright.”

“Promise?” Laurent asks, strangely fragile. 

“I promise.” Auguste vows.

There is music from outside – lyres playing the traditional  Akielon wedding song – and  Jokaste pokes her head into the room; she’s wearing a long chiton, down to her ankles, and her hair is braided in a crown. 

“Everyone is ready for you,” she says. “Are you ready?”

Laurent nods, even if he’s terrified; Auguste smiles at him and offers him his arm, and Laurent takes it; he’s wearing a golden-hemmed chiton, and he knows they will place a crown on his head when he marries Damen. He’ll no longer be the Prince of  Vere, he will be King of Akielos, the way Damen is.

He’s terrified.

He’s almost panicking again when he catches sight of Damen; he’s dressed in a white chiton, similar to Laurent’s, and a red cape. His crown shines brightly between his curls, and Laurent’s breathing stops for a moment.

He sees the exact moment Damen sees him, too. He’s laughing with  Nikandros , who’s grinning back, and then he looks back and catches sight of Laurent and his smile drops, replaced by something so openly  _ adoring _ Laurent cannot possibly cope with it.

The only reason he keeps going forward is because Auguste does.

When he reaches Damen, his smile is blinding and there is such pure happiness on his face that Laurent is both entranced and wants to look away. 

“Sweetheart.” Damen holds out his hand.

Laurent takes it.

He steps up beside him, with one last reassuring smile from Auguste, and then he can only look at Damen. The High Priestess performs the ceremony; Damen vows to love him and keep him safe for the rest of his days – unnecessary, since he is of higher rank and is not required to vow anything, but he’d insisted – and Laurent kneels in front of his husband and vows to love him in return and to always support him. Damen is the one that crowns him, and, when he stands, two servants pin a cape like Damen’s to his shoulders.

They kiss, and, with a thrill, Laurent realizes they’re married.

They’re  _ married _ .

“So,” he says slyly, to his husband, while everyone cheers. “What was that about waiting until I was twenty?”

Damen laughs loudly.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhh, so this was the final part babes <3 I really really hope you enjoyed the series :D


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